ITEM NUMBER: 10.01A a-d
CHAPTER 10: Circulation
CODE: Procedure
COMPUTER ID: CIPR-1A
Title: Library Card Registration Procedure
Effective Date: 6-2013
Authorized By: Library Director
Date of Last Revision: 4-2018
A. Accepting a new registration
a. Marathon County Public Library (V-CAT) cards are available free to all
residents of Wisconsin. Only one card is needed within the V-CAT system.
i. Staff must check the database for a previously issued card for all
new applications.
1. Staff should remember to search for maiden names or
previous surnames as well as any common nicknames or
shortened forms of names.
ii. If the patron already has an MCPL card a new registration will not
be completed.
1. All information on the old registration must be updated and
the library card barcode number replaced as needed.
a. A $2.00 replacement charge is assessed for a new
library card.
b. If a patron's registration has expired they are entitled
to one free library card replacement.
iii. If the patron already has a V-cat card a new registration will not be
completed.
1. The patron must contact the V-cat library of record to resolve
any disputed fines or charges.
2. All information on the old registration should be updated and
the library barcode replaced as needed.
a. Note: Staff should contact the V-cat library by e-mail if
they are changing the home library of the patron or to
delete an old barcode number.
b. Proof of ID must be presented for all new registrations.
i. Acceptable forms of identification include:
1. State Driver's License
2. State Identification
3. U.S. Passport
4. U.S. Armed Forces Identification Card
ii. School IDs are not acceptable forms of identification for new card
registration purposes.
iii. The ID number must be entered into the Driver's License field of
the registration.
ITEM NUMBER: 10.01A b
iv. Parent or Guardian ID numbers must be entered in the
Parent/Guardian field of a juvenile registration.
c. All library card applications must be signed by the patron. Unsigned
applications will not be processed. Juvenile applications must be signed
by the parent/guardian.
d. Proof of current address must be presented for all new registrations. If the
patron does not have proof of current address the registration will not be
completed.
i. If the patron's ID does not provide the current address the following
forms of proof of address are acceptable:
1. A piece of mail, unopened and dated within 30 days
2. A bank statement, dated within 30 days
3. Lease/dated within 30 days
ii. Residents of homeless shelters are allowed to register for a library
card providing the requirements for proof of ID and address have
been met.
1. These patrons must be registered as temporary patrons until
such time as a permanent address is obtained.
iii. Patrons with temporary residence in Wisconsin or dual residence in
Wisconsin and another location are allowed to register for a
temporary library card. Date of expiration for temporary cards shall
be 6 months from date of issue. The following conditions must be
met: proof of ID, proof of permanent address, proof of temporary
address.
1. These patrons must be registered as temporary patrons.
2. The permanent address must be entered in the Address 1
field of the registration.
3. The temporary address must be registered in the Address 2
field of the registration.
e. A parent or guardian must be present to complete a registration for a child
under the age of 18.
i. Staff must search for a record for the parents/guardians before they
complete the juvenile registration.
1. If any parent/guardian has a library card with fines over
$10.00 the juvenile registration will not be completed.
ii. Exceptions to these rules may be made in the case of
mentor/school visits (see section D).
f. All library card applications will be scanned and stored digitally for future
reference.
B. Required Fields for all Registrations
a. Expiration Date: 2 years from Birthdate; mm/dd/yyyy
b. Gender: m or f; (--) if not specified by patron
ITEM NUMBER: 10.01A c
c. Birth Year: see Sierra codes
d. Birth date: mm/dd/yyyy
e. Notice Preference: see codes; if this is blank the patron may not receive
notices
f. Patron Code 4 (Township): see codes
g. Name: Lastname, Firstname MI
h. Patron Alias: First four letters of last name, first two letters of first name
i. Address: Number and Street on the first line, City, ST, Zip on the second
line
j. Telephone: must be 10 digits with dashes, if the patron has no phone this
may be left blank
k. Driver's License number: Full DL number or other acceptable ID number,
if the Driver's License is from a state other than Wisconsin the state
should be indicated in this field on the registration
l. Barcode: Enter library barcode. MCPL patrons are allowed only one
barcode per patron
m. Pin: last four digits of the phone number
n. Parent/Guardian (juvenile records only): Parent/Guardian name followed
by Parent/Guardian Driver's License or ID number.
C. Online applications
a. New registration applications are accepted online through the library
website.
b. When the form is submitted by the patron it is sent to the library via e-mail.
c. A paper copy of the online application will be printed to be scanned and
stored digitally for future reference.
d. Online applications will be processed as they are received by staff at the
main desk.
e. Online applications must follow the same criteria as outlined in sections A
and B.
f. Online applications are processed without entering a barcode number.
The barcode will be assigned when the patron comes to the library to pick
up their card.
i. Staff will place a message in the patron record stating that the
patron must present ID to pick up their card and that checkout is
prohibited until a barcode is assigned.
g. Patrons are required to present ID to staff in order to pick up a card.
D. School Tour/Mentor Program Registration (Mentor Program examples: Big
Brothers/Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club):
a. Children may register for library cards in conjunction with a school visit
without a parent/guardian present.
b. Children's department staff is responsible for distributing application
packets to interested teachers.
ITEM NUMBER: 10.01A d
i. The teachers must return their application packets to the library at
least two weeks in advance of the school visit. Mentors can bring it
to a visit with the child present.
c. Staff will process the applications from the school prior to the school visit.
d. If the application fails any of the following criteria the application will not be
processed.
i. The child already has a library card.
ii. The parent/guardian has fines over $10 on an existing card.
iii. The application is not completed. The following elements are
required for all applications:
1. Parent/guardian name
2. Parent/guardian Driver's License or ID number
3. Parent/guardian signature
e. If the application cannot be processed staff will send a letter to the
address listed on the application stating the reasons for the rejection of the
application.
f. Children who have applied for new cards are limited to two items checked
out and are not allowed to check out DVDs.
g. New cards will be mailed to the child's home after the school/mentor visit.
E. Institutional/Group Card
a. An institutional/group library card is issued to all Marathon County
organizations that assume responsibility for all borrowed materials. The
application must be accompanied by a letter on the letterhead of the
organization applying for the card. This letter must state the
organization's acceptance of responsibility for all borrowed materials and
must be signed by the director/owner or the organization. Generally,
these cards are reserved for caregiver organizations, such as nursing and
assisted living facilities and not schools. Fines will be incurred for any
materials not returned by the due date. Special loan periods can be
arranged upon request. These limits need to be determined by a
manager.
b. Institution/Group cards are good for one year. To renew an expired
institutional/group card, a letter on the letterhead of the organization is
required.
c. Adults applying for a new institutional/group card or renewing/replacing an
existing card will need to pay all fines owed on their organization's
account.
d. Cards will need to be approved by the Wausau Headquarters
Management Team.
CHAPTER 10: Circulation
CODE: Procedure
COMPUTER ID: CIPR-1A
Title: Library Card Registration Procedure
Effective Date: 6-2013
Authorized By: Library Director
Date of Last Revision: 4-2018
A. Accepting a new registration
a. Marathon County Public Library (V-CAT) cards are available free to all
residents of Wisconsin. Only one card is needed within the V-CAT system.
i. Staff must check the database for a previously issued card for all
new applications.
1. Staff should remember to search for maiden names or
previous surnames as well as any common nicknames or
shortened forms of names.
ii. If the patron already has an MCPL card a new registration will not
be completed.
1. All information on the old registration must be updated and
the library card barcode number replaced as needed.
a. A $2.00 replacement charge is assessed for a new
library card.
b. If a patron's registration has expired they are entitled
to one free library card replacement.
iii. If the patron already has a V-cat card a new registration will not be
completed.
1. The patron must contact the V-cat library of record to resolve
any disputed fines or charges.
2. All information on the old registration should be updated and
the library barcode replaced as needed.
a. Note: Staff should contact the V-cat library by e-mail if
they are changing the home library of the patron or to
delete an old barcode number.
b. Proof of ID must be presented for all new registrations.
i. Acceptable forms of identification include:
1. State Driver's License
2. State Identification
3. U.S. Passport
4. U.S. Armed Forces Identification Card
ii. School IDs are not acceptable forms of identification for new card
registration purposes.
iii. The ID number must be entered into the Driver's License field of
the registration.
ITEM NUMBER: 10.01A b
iv. Parent or Guardian ID numbers must be entered in the
Parent/Guardian field of a juvenile registration.
c. All library card applications must be signed by the patron. Unsigned
applications will not be processed. Juvenile applications must be signed
by the parent/guardian.
d. Proof of current address must be presented for all new registrations. If the
patron does not have proof of current address the registration will not be
completed.
i. If the patron's ID does not provide the current address the following
forms of proof of address are acceptable:
1. A piece of mail, unopened and dated within 30 days
2. A bank statement, dated within 30 days
3. Lease/dated within 30 days
ii. Residents of homeless shelters are allowed to register for a library
card providing the requirements for proof of ID and address have
been met.
1. These patrons must be registered as temporary patrons until
such time as a permanent address is obtained.
iii. Patrons with temporary residence in Wisconsin or dual residence in
Wisconsin and another location are allowed to register for a
temporary library card. Date of expiration for temporary cards shall
be 6 months from date of issue. The following conditions must be
met: proof of ID, proof of permanent address, proof of temporary
address.
1. These patrons must be registered as temporary patrons.
2. The permanent address must be entered in the Address 1
field of the registration.
3. The temporary address must be registered in the Address 2
field of the registration.
e. A parent or guardian must be present to complete a registration for a child
under the age of 18.
i. Staff must search for a record for the parents/guardians before they
complete the juvenile registration.
1. If any parent/guardian has a library card with fines over
$10.00 the juvenile registration will not be completed.
ii. Exceptions to these rules may be made in the case of
mentor/school visits (see section D).
f. All library card applications will be scanned and stored digitally for future
reference.
B. Required Fields for all Registrations
a. Expiration Date: 2 years from Birthdate; mm/dd/yyyy
b. Gender: m or f; (--) if not specified by patron
ITEM NUMBER: 10.01A c
c. Birth Year: see Sierra codes
d. Birth date: mm/dd/yyyy
e. Notice Preference: see codes; if this is blank the patron may not receive
notices
f. Patron Code 4 (Township): see codes
g. Name: Lastname, Firstname MI
h. Patron Alias: First four letters of last name, first two letters of first name
i. Address: Number and Street on the first line, City, ST, Zip on the second
line
j. Telephone: must be 10 digits with dashes, if the patron has no phone this
may be left blank
k. Driver's License number: Full DL number or other acceptable ID number,
if the Driver's License is from a state other than Wisconsin the state
should be indicated in this field on the registration
l. Barcode: Enter library barcode. MCPL patrons are allowed only one
barcode per patron
m. Pin: last four digits of the phone number
n. Parent/Guardian (juvenile records only): Parent/Guardian name followed
by Parent/Guardian Driver's License or ID number.
C. Online applications
a. New registration applications are accepted online through the library
website.
b. When the form is submitted by the patron it is sent to the library via e-mail.
c. A paper copy of the online application will be printed to be scanned and
stored digitally for future reference.
d. Online applications will be processed as they are received by staff at the
main desk.
e. Online applications must follow the same criteria as outlined in sections A
and B.
f. Online applications are processed without entering a barcode number.
The barcode will be assigned when the patron comes to the library to pick
up their card.
i. Staff will place a message in the patron record stating that the
patron must present ID to pick up their card and that checkout is
prohibited until a barcode is assigned.
g. Patrons are required to present ID to staff in order to pick up a card.
D. School Tour/Mentor Program Registration (Mentor Program examples: Big
Brothers/Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club):
a. Children may register for library cards in conjunction with a school visit
without a parent/guardian present.
b. Children's department staff is responsible for distributing application
packets to interested teachers.
ITEM NUMBER: 10.01A d
i. The teachers must return their application packets to the library at
least two weeks in advance of the school visit. Mentors can bring it
to a visit with the child present.
c. Staff will process the applications from the school prior to the school visit.
d. If the application fails any of the following criteria the application will not be
processed.
i. The child already has a library card.
ii. The parent/guardian has fines over $10 on an existing card.
iii. The application is not completed. The following elements are
required for all applications:
1. Parent/guardian name
2. Parent/guardian Driver's License or ID number
3. Parent/guardian signature
e. If the application cannot be processed staff will send a letter to the
address listed on the application stating the reasons for the rejection of the
application.
f. Children who have applied for new cards are limited to two items checked
out and are not allowed to check out DVDs.
g. New cards will be mailed to the child's home after the school/mentor visit.
E. Institutional/Group Card
a. An institutional/group library card is issued to all Marathon County
organizations that assume responsibility for all borrowed materials. The
application must be accompanied by a letter on the letterhead of the
organization applying for the card. This letter must state the
organization's acceptance of responsibility for all borrowed materials and
must be signed by the director/owner or the organization. Generally,
these cards are reserved for caregiver organizations, such as nursing and
assisted living facilities and not schools. Fines will be incurred for any
materials not returned by the due date. Special loan periods can be
arranged upon request. These limits need to be determined by a
manager.
b. Institution/Group cards are good for one year. To renew an expired
institutional/group card, a letter on the letterhead of the organization is
required.
c. Adults applying for a new institutional/group card or renewing/replacing an
existing card will need to pay all fines owed on their organization's
account.
d. Cards will need to be approved by the Wausau Headquarters
Management Team.